"Here are some of the best of Churchill's letters, many of a more personal and intimate nature, presented in chronological order, with a preface to each letter explaining the context. The recipients include a vast range of people, including his schoolmaster, his American grandmother and former President Eisenhower."--Publisher.

"To an extent acknowledged by neither Churchill nor his previous biographers, Churchill's outlook--his political instincts, his understanding of the means and ends of power, his commitment to empire--was shaped decisively by his family, his friends, and adversaries, for good and for ill. Historian David Reynolds extricates the reality of Churchill from the legend, revealing a lifelong struggle to overcome his political shortcomings and his evolving...